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User blog:BeccaSchmecca/Althea in Real Life: Debut Tour
Althea in Concert 2012 was the debut headlining concert tour by New Zealand preteen singer Althea, in support of her self-titled album. The tour visited mid-sized auditoriums in Europe and Asia throughout 2012. Her set list included all 10 songs from the album, as well as covers of hits from well-known artists like Whitney Houston, Elton John, Bobby Darin, Jennifer Holliday, and Ella Fitzgerald. Althea's manager (Timothy Glezos; born 5 March 1966), who is also her father, traveled with her throughout the tour. For every tour stop, Althea was accompanied by live orchestras lead by her cousin, pianist Moira Nakos (born 9 May 1992). Background and development Althea announced the tour via her official website on 9 January 2012, the day after her 12th birthday. She wrote: “Hey everyone! I have some very exciting news! Recently, I have decided to headline a tour of Europe and Asia. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to see y'all there. I'll be announcing the exact tour dates soon but for now I wanted to give you guys the scoop first. Stay tuned for more information. Have a nice day! Sincerely, Althea :)” Ticket sales for the tour dates in July were made from 14 January to 2 February. Tour stops in July included Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Tour dates in August included Ireland, more of the UK, France, Monaco, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Austria, and Hungary. There was no age requirement, although most of the audience members were young adults. Each tour date started between 5:45 and 6:15 in the evening. Dress design For the concerts visual, Althea worked with her stylist Irene Saroyan and the designer Luther Forsman, they worked together to created a "colorful" and "flowing" look for Althea. Describing the conception of the dresses using during the tour dates, Forsman stated: "It's about making a mature Althea, pairing her silhouette with what just happened recently, so a big theme would be what seems like modern day princess dresses—sorta flowing skirts, and sleeveless tops in order to make each dresses suitable for a 12-year-old." Forman went on: "It's definitely colorful, even if it's too mature for girls who were born in the early 2000's." Talking about the opening look, a yellowish-orange floor-length dress with a silver neckline, he revealed that it was designed one day before the opening night. He explained "I slept for nearly 3 hours. It may have been stressful, but it was amazing." During an interview with a Billboard-oriented company in Wellington, Forsman said: “Most of the designs are my direct aesthetic, so I put my stamp on it. This included the certain silhouette that Althea wanted and certain colors, and that's how we met in the middle. We had several options that could qualify, which are usually the kinds of so called prom-oriented dresses you'd find at stores such as Macy's, Lord & Taylor, and JCPenney. It's very flowing on Althea so we have a lot of items in that shape.” He also revealed that "everything was a mixture of neon, pastels, sequins, you name it. We use a lot of silk fabric because everything is very relaxed-looking. It doesn't have a lot going on in terms of the details." The dress Althea wore during the fourth act, ??? neckline was inspired by Set list # "Fly Away" # "I Have Nothing" (Whitney Houston cover) # "Life is Unnecessary" # "Mess with Myself" # "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (Elton John cover) # "Beyond the Sea" (Bobby Darin cover) # "Undone" # "Mysterious" # "Disappear" (contains elements of "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You") # "There'll Always Be a Way" (contains elements of "What's Another Year") # "I Would Understand" (contains elements of "Absent Friend", "Memory", and "Unfaithful") # "And I Am Telling You" (Jennifer Holliday cover) # "Summertime" (Ella Fitzgerald cover) # "Save Me from Evil" (contains elements of "Where Does My Heart Beat Now") # "The Middle of Nowhere" Reaction In reviewing Althea's concert at Copenhagen's B&W Hallerne, a member of The Copenhagen Post wrote: "Althea's pitch-perfect vocals and enormous R&B range make it a show to remember, and she keeps things professional when it's just her, a colored microphone, and backup orchestra led by her cousin. Seriously, this was one hell of an evening!" A reviewer from The Echo wrote on Althea's concert at Dublin's Simmonscourt Pavilion: "It takes a powerful Etta James-oriented voice and strong techniques to take Ireland by storm, and that's exactly what Althea has when traveling the way from New Zealand to get to the Emerald Isle. Not too bad for a 12-year-old." Tour dates :§ For tours like this one, Althea usually appears with her cousin Moira Nakos, at the piano, and a dozen locally assembled string players who add to prerecorded backing tracks. Where an orchestra is named, members of that orchestra are used. The Asian leg included larger ensembles with unknown synthesizers. Category:Blog posts focusing on real life events Category:Browse